Chapter 11: Added discussion of Mark Johnston's Surviving Death; enhances the discussion of both dualist and the monist views of life after death. Added new section on No Persisting Self (including discussion of Parfit and Buddhism). Both updated the discussion and expanded it to other world religions.

Chapters 8 and 10: More clearly identify the implications of certain assumptions about God's power and knowledge for important theological concepts such as prayer, miracle and divine guidance. Helps the reader better see the interconnectedness of various religious beliefs.

Chapter 6: Updated discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of evidentialism - the claim that the rationality of religious belief is based on evidence open to all. To better reflect the current philosophical discussion of this issue.

Chapter 8: Updated discussion of the seeming incompatibility between maintaining that humans make free choices and that God foreknows what these choices will be. This better reflects the current philosophical discussion of the issue.

Chapter 9 includes a new section on Skeptical Theism as a growing response to the problem of evil. It also adds some modest few lines showing the connection of the problem of evil to divine hiddenness. Students gain exposure to an important and rapidly growing discussion of the problem of evil along lines of skeptical theism.

Chapter 13 adds new material on the New Atheism in the science-religion discussion-e.g., Stephen Hawking's argument for how the universe created itself and therefore is not dependent on God. Material added on the Intelligent Design Movement and the Theistic Evolution position. It also covers the recent Plantinga-Dennett debate over science and religion. Discusses atheist Michael Ruse's argument that evolution and philosophical naturalism make the most adequate total worldview in tension with John Polkinghorne's argument that Christian theism and evolution make the more adequate worldview. This will keep up with the rapidly growing literature reflecting the unfolding science-religion discussion on a variety of fronts. Will also keep up with the rapidly growing literature reflecting the unfolding discussion, representing recent important contributions from thinkers on both sides and providing fair analysis and classification of the positions.

Chapter 14: Added discussion of Buddhism. This is part of a total upgrade in treatment of nonwestern religions.

Chapter 12: Augmented discussion of apophatic and cataphatic theology related to issues in religious language. This treats an important debate over whether we can speak positively about what God is vs. speak only negatively about what god is not.

Reason & Religious Belief

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

Fifth Edition

Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger

Description

Reason and Religious Belief, now in its fifth edition, explores perennial questions in the philosophy of religion. Drawing from the best in both classical and contemporary discussions, the authors examine religious experience, faith and reason, the divine attributes, arguments for and against the existence of God, divine action (in various forms of theism), Reformed epistemology, religious language, religious diversity, and religion and science.

Revised and updated to reflect current philosophical discourse, the fifth edition offers new material on neuro-theology, the "new Atheism," the intelligent design movement, theistic evolution, and skeptical theism. It also provides more coverage of non-Western religions--particularly Buddhism--and updated discussions of evidentialism, free will, life after death, apophatic theology, and more. A sophisticated yet accessible introduction, Reason and Religious Belief, Fifth Edition, is ideally suited for use with the authors' companion anthology, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, Fourth Edition (OUP, 2009).

Previous publication dates

Reason & Religious Belief

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

Fifth Edition

Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fifth EditionIntroduction1. Thinking about God: The Search for the Divine Defining ReligionWhat Is Philosophy of Religion?The God of TheismThoughtful Inquiry and Religious FaithThe Religious Ambiguity of LifeOur Task2. The Nature of Religion: What Are Religious Beliefs About? Religious Non-realismBuddhist Non-realismReligious RealismWittgenstein on ReligionWhy Is This Issue Important?3. Religious Experience: What Does It Mean to Encounter the Divine? Types of Religious ExperienceReligious Experience as FeelingSome Religious Experience as Perceptual ExperienceReligious Experience as Interpretation Based on Religious BeliefsCan Religious Experience Justify Religious Belief?The Principle of CredulityDiversity of Religious ExperiencesIs There a Common Core to Religious Experience?4. Faith and Reason: How Are They Related? Can Reason Be Trusted?Strong RationalismFideismCritical Rationalism5. Theistic Arguments: Is there Evidence for God's Existence? Theistic Arguments as ProofsThe Ontological ArgumentContemporary Versions of the Ontological ArgumentThe Cosmological ArgumentThe Kalam Cosmological ArgumentThe Atemporal Cosmological ArgumentThe Analogical Teleological ArgumentThe Anthropic Teleological ArgumentThe Intelligent Design Teleological ArgumentThe Moral ArgumentCumulative Case Arguments and GodThe God of Religion and of Philosophy6. Knowing God without Arguments: Does Theism Need a Basis? EvidentialismCritique of EvidentialismPlantinga on Properly Basic BeliefsAlston on Perceiving GodPlantinga on Warrant and Knowledge7. The Divine Attributes: What Is God Like? Perfect and Worthy of WorshipNecessary and Self-ExistentPersonal and Free CreatorAll-Powerful, All-Knowing, and Perfectly GoodGod Eternal--Timeless or Everlasting8. Divine Action: How Does God Relate to the World? What Kind of Power Does God Exercise?What Kind of Freedom Has God Given?Does God Know What Would Have Happened?Does God Know the Actual Future?What If the Future Is Truly Open?9. The Problem ofEvil: Is there Evidence against God's Existence? The Logical Problem of EvilThe Evidential Problem of EvilSkeptical Theism as a ResponseCan Theists Accept the Factual Premise?Defense and TheodicyThemes in TheodicySome Important Global TheodiciesHorrendous Evils and the Assessment of Theism10. Miracles: Does God Intervene in Earthly Affairs? Miracles DefinedMiracles as Possible EventsMiracles as Historical EventsMiracles as Unexplainable EventsMiracles as Acts of GodThe "Miraculous" Resurrection of JesusMiracles and Evil11. Life after Death: Are there Reasons for Hope? TerminologyConcepts of Life after DeathPersonal Identity and the SoulImmortality of the SoulCriticism of the Soul-ConceptThe Self as a Psychophysical UnityRe-creation and Spatiotemporal ContinuityThere Is No Persisting SelfA Posteriori Arguments for Life after DeathA Priori Arguments for Life after DeathProspects12. Religious Language: How Can We Speak Meaningfully of God? Human Language and the InfiniteThe Classical Theory of AnalogyVerification and Falsification IssuesThe Functions of Religious DiscourseReligious Language as SymbolicFeminism and Masculine God-TalkCan Talk of God Be Literal?13. Religion and Science: Are They Compatible or Incompatible? Do Religion and Science Conflict?Are Religion and Science Independent?Is Dialogue Possible?Attempts at IntegrationTheistic Evolution and the Science-Religion DebateInsights14. Religious Diversity: How Can We Understand Differences among Religions? Religious DiversityExclusivismCritique of ExclusivismExclusivism and Justified BeliefPluralismCritique of PluralismPluralism as Plurality of SalvationsInclusivismCritique of InclusivismCriteria for Assessing Religions15. Religious Ethics: What Is God's Relation to Morality? The Source of Religious Ethical TruthThe Authoritative Basis of Religious Ethical TruthThe Acquisition of Religiously Based Ethical TruthThe Significance of Religiously Based Ethical TruthCurrent Issues16. The Continuing Quest: God and the Human Venture The Intellectual ProcessPhilosophical Activity and Religious FaithWhere Do We Go from Here?GlossaryName IndexGeneral Index

Reason & Religious Belief

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

Fifth Edition

Michael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger

Reviews and Awards

"I believe that Reason and Religious Belief is the best text available for an introductory philosophy of religion course. One of the greatest strengths is its fair representation of differing positions and approaches to problems. The level is just right for my purposes--introducing students to philosophy of religion in a way that challenges them."--Gordon Pettit, Western Illinois University

"The treatments of opposing viewpoints are fair and well balanced. The writing style is superb: consistently economical, engaging, and clear."--Gary Rosenkrantz, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

"This is an excellent book, in my view the best available for use in philosophy of religion survey courses. It covers all the general topics likely to be covered in such courses, and then some."--Clyde P. Ragland, Saint Louis University

"I would recommend this book to anyone teaching philosophy of religion."--Kevin Carnahan, Central Methodist University